Affairs of the heart
by LadyMona
Summary: A night out at the theatre inspires Angela to attempt a Hercules' labour...
1. Prologue

**Affairs of the heart  
**

**Disclaimer**: I don't own "Bones". I'm writing just for fun and for all the BB-Shippers out there.

**Rating**: K+

**A/n:**  
I copied myself for this story. I once wrote a german Stargate-fiction named "Herzenanlegenheiten" (affairs of the heart) using Shakespeare's "Much ado about nothing" to let some people play Cupid. I though this would also work with "Bones". So, here it is – Bones meets Shakespeare.

This story is also available in German.

Special thanks go to my betareader Chris!!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Prologue**

Three hours earlier Angela Montenegro had sceptically climbed the stairs to the Washington Theatre. Now, as she descended the stairs, her eyes were sparkling.

"I told you, you'd like Shakespeare," Jack smirked.

Angela smiled at him.

"What?" he asked when it occurred to him that there might be more to her good mood than an entertaining night out at the theatre.

She kept on smiling. „Nothing."

„Angela…" he urged.

Her smile turned into a giggle. "You were right – Shakespeare is brilliant. A lot more so you may think."

Jack glanced at her in confusion. "You're speaking in riddles, Angela."

She stopped walking and kissed him slightly on the lips. "That doesn't matter." That said, she turned on her heel and walked on „Too bad that Bren didn't see the play."

"Angela!" Jack called impatiently as he caught up with her. „I don't understand. What exactly happened in there? I virtually had to cart you in that theatre because you didn't believe how great _Much ado about nothing_ is. And now, you're grinning like a Cheshire cat."

"You saw the play as well, right?"

"Yeah?" Jack was still confused whereas Angela seemed to be daydreaming.

Her smile broadend remembering a certain scene of the play.

Jack stopped and folded his arms. "Angela!" he demanded once again.

Angela turned to him. "Well," she began, "let me put it this way – good old Will inspired me to attempt a Hercules' labour." She winked at him. "But for today it's a secret. I'll tell you tomorrow." She graced him with a mysterious smile und went on to the limousine which was waiting for Hodgins and herself.

Jack hung back and stood there for a few moments. "One of Hercules' labours?" he wondered. Why was Angela quoting something Prince Don Pedro was saying in the play?... Wait a sec... Hercules' labour?... procuring… Jack saw Angela climbing into the limousine and followed her with a couple of quick steps. He had a vague clue as to what she was up to. And if he was right some interesting times would lie ahead of the Squints.


	2. Cupid's substitute

**Affairs of the heart**

**Disclaimer**: I don't own "Bones". I'm writing just for fun and for all the BB-Shippers out there.

**Rating**: K+

**A/n:**  
I'm sorry the quotation marks are a little messed up in the prologue. In German they're down at the beginning of the sentence (and up at the end). I didn't notice that my version of MS Word mixed English and German punctuation.

Thanks, Thanks and thanks again to my beta Chris who's rather a sort of co-authoress to this chapter:-)

To theatrehopeful11:  
It's really "a Hercules' labour" and not "Herculean labour". At least in the translation of "Viel Lärm um nichts" (Much ado about nothing) I got. But I think both is possible.

This story (including the new chapter) is also available in German.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 1: Cupid's substitute**

To his great surprise, the next morning, Jack found Angela reading in the library of the Hodgins Manor. "Will you tell me _now_ what you're up to?" he inquired while sitting down in the fauteuil across from her.

She beamed at him. "Good morning to you too, Jack." She lowered the book which had _Much ado about nothing_ embossed in large gilded letters across its spine.

His gaze met hers unwaveringly.

"Okay, okay..." She ran her hand over the book cover. "I have to admit that it's a shame that I only stumbled across Shakespeare now. Good old Will really had it figured out."

"Angela."

"Yeah, alright, just bear with me..." she grinned and paused again teasingly. "As I told you yesterday. I have my very own Herculean labour in mind."

"Which wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Dr. Brennan?"

Angela's eyebrows arched appreciatively while the rest of her face didn't give anything away. She rested the book against her chest. "I think I've found a way to accomplish my long term project 'Brennan/Booth'."

Jack laughed. "Long term project?"

Angela nodded, completly serious. "Yeah – exactly! I might have started this whole thing all wrong. I think I'll have to approach the problem with a bit Shakespearean psychology."

"You're crazy."

She smirked. "Yeah, and that's why you love me."

"How could I not?" he gestured with a silly grin on his face.

"What are you doing in the library?" a voice sounded.

Angela and Jack turned to the door. Zack Addy was standing in the doorway, giving them an inquisitive look.

"I will in the interim undertake one of Hercules' labours, which is, to bring Signior Benedick and the Lady Beatrice into a mountain of affection th'one with th'other. I would fain have it a match, and I doubt not but to fashion it, if you will but minister such assistance as I shall give you direction," Angela cited from the text of Don Pedro.

In utter confusion, Zack stared at Angela, then his eyes wandered over to Hodgins and then back to Angela. "Uhm... what did I miss?"

Hogdins rose. Leaving the room he gave Zack a companionable pat on the shoulder. "Shakespeare!"

"Shakespeare?" Zack repeated and he finally spotted the book Angela was still holding. Then he started to connect the dots. "Oh, right, yesterday you were in the theatre. But I still don't understand."

Angela smiled knowingly. "Do you know _Much ado about nothing_?"

"Yes?" Zack replied, somewhat unsteadily.

"Very well!" She breezed past him, heading for the kitchen.

Zack followed her. "Wait a sec! What's that supposed to mean?"

"We'll play Cupid for our Beatrice, Dr. Addy!" Angela answered without stopping or turning around.

Zack stopped mid-step. He was about to ask her, who she referred to by Beatrice – when it dawned to him. And he wondered why Angela actually believed this would be necessary. Then, he had another epiphany. Not Angela had been the one to interrupt a certain meaningful moment between a certain FBI agent and his partner. It had been _him_. And he didn't tell Angela yet. So, of course, she couldn't know how close the two of them already had become.  
And now? Zack pondered his options. Zack could imagine quite a few scenarios if he did reveal to Angela what he had witnessed between Brennan and Booth. Or if he didn't tell her und let her continue with her procuring project. At best, Angela's targets would end up in a partnership of a different character, at worst…and here was the hitch…one was inextricably tied to the other since Temperance Brennan had made it unmistakably clear that she would not tolerate any of Angela's intrusions into her love life – particularly not any that concerned Special Agent Seeley Booth. Zack didn't have any difficulties visualizing all hell breaking lose once Dr. Brennan found out about Angela's plans... This could end badly... But he simply had to tell Angela...

"Uhm, Angela..." he started following her into the kitchen.

To his surprise Angela reacted differently than he had expected. Thus, Hodgins found them silently engaged in a staring contest. Angela was resting against the counter besides the sink and just glared at Zack who stood several feet away, visibly intimidated and almost timid.

"Whoa, what's the matter?" Hodgins broke the silence.

"Tell him," Angela said coolly.

"Well, at the celebration in the Diner… when Dr. Brennan went outside to meet Agent Booth..." Zack avoided Hodgins's eyes view. "I guess, I interrupted a... _moment_ when I knocked on the window to call them in. I think they were about to kiss. But... well, I noticed not until it was to late…"

"Oh," Hodgins ground out. That explainded Angela's subzero stare. Admittedly Hodgings was astounded at her looking only that calm at Zack but not yelling at him. "Angela?"

Angela sighed. "Yeah. I don't yell," she said with a shrug. "But, next time, I want to know imediatly, Zack!" In one fluid motion, she walked across the room to adjust the collar of Hodgins' shirt and then turned to Zack once more. "You're lucky I'm in such a good mood today." A sly smile parted her lips. "And that I've got a plan."

Zack returned her smile a bit uncertain unsteadily.

Her smile spread while approaching Zack. "And _you_ are going to help me."

"Help you? But I..."

Angela shook her head and wagged with her forefinger. "So far I have failed by acting alone, but with a little procuring á la Shakespeare we'll soon have restrained Benedick and Beatrice."

"But I still can't..."

"You can!" Angela ensured. She picked up the Shakespeare book which was laying behind her on the counter and held it up. "I'm going to read a little now. And later we'll discuss my plan."

"But we can't do that... I can't take part in this... Do I look like Cupid's substitute?"

Hodgins grinned. "No, but as of this moment you're Aphrodite's apprentice."

Zack sighed. "Well, at least Hero and Claudio already are a couple..."

"Did you hear that, dearest Hero?" Slipping his arms around Angela's waist Jack laughed.

"So, we're agreed," she answered and quoted a passage from Hero's text: "If it proves so, then loving goes by haps. Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps."


End file.
